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Why you need to follow Pandora Sykes.

I had no idea The High Low podcast existed a fortnight ago.

I honestly don’t know how I missed it, considering I’m A) a podcast fanatic, B) it’s been around for a year and C) I’m interested in everything that comes out of British journalists Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes’ mouths.

It’s a weekly pop-culture/news podcast and it’s smart but sugary which is precisely how I like my content. One minute, they’re talking to a French author about her award-winning book and identity politics. The next, it’s all about Kylie Jenner. High brow, low brow, baby.

It took me all of 45 seconds into episode one to seek out Alderton and Sykes and follow them in every possible place. Basically, if they were on Myspace, I’d be calling up Tom to create an account. Their special magic lies in that both women are educated, charming, funny and smart, but also endlessly critique their own privilege.

(If I sound like a crazed fangirl that’s probably because I am. When I love I love hard, okay?)

I’ve already ordered Alderton’s memoir on relationships, Everything I Know About Love, and will post a review here once it arrives.

Until then, I seriously recommend you follow Sykes on Instagram.

Before launching the podcast, Sykes was the Fashion Features Editor and Wardrobe Mistress columnist at The Sunday Times Style. She’s also written for the likes of VOGUE Australia, The Cut and Man Repeller – so, basically, when it comes to clothes, she knows her shit.

Scrolling through her outfit and lifestyle photos reminds me of the dichotomy put forward by feminist comedy writer and author Jessi Klein. That is, there are two types of women: poodles and wolves.

Klein wrote in her best-selling memoir You’ll Grow Out Of It:

A poodle and a wolf are both technically dogs, but based on appearances, it doesn’t make any conceivable sense that they share a common ancestor. We decided that some women are poodles and some women are wolves. And no matter what a wolf does (like put on make-up, or a G-string), it will still be a wolf, and no matter what a poodle does (like put on sweatpants), it will always be a poodle. […]

Poodle characteristics:

• Poodles are confident.

• Poodles are always late.

• Poodles laugh a lot!!!

• Poodles always wear matching bras and underwear.

• Poodles lose their virginity in high school.

Wolf characteristics:

• Wolves need to eat more than poodles do (both larger amounts and more frequently).

• Wolves wear lip balm.

• Wolves can’t deal with G-strings.

• Wolves sweat a lot.

• Wolves are funny.

• Wolves show up 10 minutes early to everything and are always the first ones there and then have to fake a conversation on their phones so they look like they know other human beings on this earth.

• Wolves usually own two bras in total, and neither of them matches their tattered old underwear.

Angelina Jolie = poodle

Kate Moss = poodle

Tina Fey = wolf

I’m a wolf through and through andas a wolf, am fascinated by those who are so effortlessly notwolves. Sykes, who has in the past described her style as “eclectic but specific”, is the quintessential poodle. She makes the most surprising combinations look chic – she finds a lot of her clothes in vintage stores – and the whole damn thing is BAFFLING to me.

Sykes is heavily pregnant at the moment and because she has a particular disdain for maternity fashion, hasn’t posted too many of her recent outfits. Here are the posts that might have been taken months ago, but caught my eye (and wallet) nonetheless.